I keep waking up at 5am every morning!

Enjoy the morning. Get up, make yourself a cup of tea, read a book, go for a walk or run….See the time that you’re getting for yourself as a blessing. If you’re going to sleep at 10.30 you’re still getting 6.5 hours of sleep, which is fine.

I’ve had this issue for a few years since menopause started & had to accept my time clock shifted so now im fast asleep by 9-9.30 so if I do wake up at 5 I’ve had a decent night’s sleep. I use sleep gummies too which really help and usually now get to nearer 6am

I'd be happy with that, 6.5hrs sleep.

It's about what I usually get. I slept 9-3.30 last night and then got up shortly after 4.30 to walk the dog.

I'm 47. I don't really remember the times before children when I could sleep for 7+hrs.

I get up and exercise every morning, either a walk, or yoga or weights.

I've had a few periods of this. The 321 rule is helpful. Meditation whilst lying in bed might also
help.

The last 3 days it’s been 1am, 3am then 2am. I even tried cbd gummies as I’m so sick of this shit (perimenopause). That was the 1am so clearly didn’t work 😩

Another outlook on this:

5

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), waking at 5 a.m. points to the Large Intestine time (5-7 a.m.), indicating potential physical "stuckness" (constipation, bloating) or emotional inability to "let go" (grief, feeling overwhelmed, holding onto the past). This is a prime time for detoxification and bowel movement, so waking often suggests your body needs help releasing waste and emotions, possibly through hydration, fiber, deep breathing, or addressing unresolved sadness or fear.

What it means (Organ Clock)
5 a.m. - 7 a.m.: Large Intestine .
Physical: Waste elimination, detox, potential for constipation, bloating, sluggish digestion.
Emotional: Difficulty letting go, feeling stuck, overwhelmed by circumstances.

Mine was perimenopause related and estrogen helped.

I can relate! I usually just give up and get up when this happens, but I also try and go to bed at 9pm at night 🤣

I try and enjoy the early morning of pottering by doing a few boring jobs like emptying dishwasher/loading washing machine, to try and make my evenings easier. Then i listen to the radio and have a nice coffee before getting ready for work.

I’m also a frequent 3AM waker, didn’t realise this was such a common wake up time until seeing all these replies. My brain seems to think 3AM is the ideal time to wake up for a bit of a worry. This is particularly annoying when I drop off then wake again at 5, as I don’t feel I’ve had a proper nights sleep at all.

I think it’s peri. Some things that have helped me sleep better are a lavender bath before bed, ensuring good temperature in bedroom (Goldilocks zone, not too hot/not too cold), magnesium supplements before bed, a good sleep mask so no light sneaks in, ‘this works’ pillow sleep spray (it’s expensive but I’ve tried cheaper ones and they are no where near as good).

it’s a bit less depressing in the summer, as at least the sky looks nice at that time x

You've had 7 hours sleep though, that's a good chunk of sleep.

Same here and have been for 2-3yrs. In fact 5am is good, usually up before then. I think maybe perimenopause but i’ve got used to being an early riser now

Me too but I’m just falling asleep earlier so still getting the right hours, it does feel so early though. I haven’t been able to sleep in since my teens, or occasionally if I eat carbs before bed

I hear you. I woke at 4.59am this morning. Psychologically, because the time started with a 4 rather than a 5 it still felt like nighttime rather than early morning. I tossed and turned for an hour and then gave up and got up properly at 6.

It would be 6am if we ended the nonsense of putting the clocks back in winter. Hope OP you share my views about the arcane practice.

I have ASD and ADHD and if I don't go for a run or have a workout in the gym my sleep really suffers. I get really twitchy during the day too! I have to really tire myself out during the day otherwise I struggle to fall asleep and end up waking really early too. I go to bed at 2100 every night and wake at 0600.

@TelephoneWires I have better quality sleep the days I don’t nap even if I still wake early. I know of people who nap late in the day and still manage to sleep at night, but a nap before even before lunch impacts my sleep.

Have you tried melatonin and magnesium?

I get up at 5 every day, by choice. I used to have an alarm but now my body clock just wakes me up at that time. However I do go to sleep about 9:30. Find something rewarding to do at that time, it’s the perfect time to read, catch up on shows, exercise etc with no children or family members to distract you.

I wake up early whatever I do so I think the extra sleep is beneficial. I can’t nap every day even if I wanted to.

So do I. I just get up though.

I put my radio on - usually Radio 4 Extra as I find the speech stops my brain from whirring and sometimes soothes me back to sleep for a bit.
One ear bud is usually enough; less compelling than two so more likely to drift off.

@TelephoneWires have you tried cutting the naps out?

I sleep better if I don’t nap, although sometimes napping is unavoidable.

We figured out the heating was coming on around 5 and waking us.

I’ve had it in different times of the year and it was stress related insomnia. I’m also naturally an early bird so if I fall asleep at 9 Im naturally up for the day at 5.

I don’t know where you are at, but it’s dark. Sunrise isn’t until nearly 8am at the moment.

At the moment I am grateful when I don’t wake up until 5am as sometimes I can wake at 2am and don’t go back to sleep. Other times I wake at a more normal time. I am post meno on HRT and I have had a decade of rubbish sleep.

I now tend to get up and settle down on the sofa and just go with the flow, I normally end up resting even if I don’t go back to sleep which is better than tossing and turning and getting frustrated.

Get to bed earlier, I know it sounds shit to say that but we have done this in our house. Dh is now out of the house at 5.55am so he gets up at 5.30am and is quiet as a mouse but I have a light alarm come on at 5.45 to rouse me. We have shifted our dinner to half an hour earlier and are strict with coming up to bed and lights out before 10.

Sleep is massively important, see if coming to bed a bit earlier helps with the quantity of sleep. If you are naturally waking at 5am it might also be noise from outside your house. To get more sleep you need to try to get to bed earlier.